That's it! We're wrapping up another school year and heading into summer break.
For many of us, that comes with the excitement of a fresh start and often comes with a familiar wave of feeling overwhelmed. There's still so much to do from the Spring semester, the national education scene is ever-shifting, and how are we going to address everything we want to do in the Fall?
By the time August gets here, the back-to-school season can feel less like a fresh start and more like diving falling into the deep end.
No worries - we're here to help! We're going to run through some ways you can utilize the summer break to help reset your mindset. You deserve a summer that fuels you, and that begins with a small shift that honors your well-being.
Recognizing the signs of feeling overwhelmed
Who isn't overwhelmed these days?... most of our day-to-day conversation is about what we're overwhelmed by. Still, it's important to recognize symptoms that are often caused by anxiety so we can find appropriate support systems for those areas.
Common outward symptoms of feeling overwhelmed include:
- Changes in motivation
- Isolation
- Procrastination
- Overthinking
- Difficulty managing time
- Overcommitment
- Lack of work-life balance
Addressing the feelings of being overwhelm is crucial for maintaining well-being and effectiveness in your role.
Let's Talk Attainable Solutions
Can we get the popular one out of the way? Walking! Its no secret that getting your steps in has a dramatic impact on your quality of life. Recent studies are showing that while getting 10,000 steps has a dramatic impact on our health, fewer steps are still substantially beneficial:
The risk of dying from any cause or from cardiovascular disease decreases significantly with every 500 to 1000 extra steps you walk. An increase of 1000 steps a day was associated with a 15% reduction in the risk of dying from any cause, and an increase of 500 steps a day was associated with a 7% reduction in dying from cardiovascular disease.
escardio.org
Compound your daily steps with some outdoor walking, and you got an incredible blend of mental health activities that are working for you. According to research done out of the University of Essex, outdoor exercise has a tremendous impact on our mental health:
Compared with exercising indoors, exercising in natural environments was associated with greater feelings of revitalization and positive engagement, decreases in tension, confusion, anger, and depression, and increased energy.
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/es102947t
Drink Your Way to Happiness
I love a spicy margarita, but we're not encouraging you to become an alcoholic. As educators, your schedules are wildly complex and leave little time for a healthy diet. That's why we're suggesting a green-drink to help restore your physical and mental health this summer.
It no secret that getting 5 portions of fruits or veggies a day dramatically improve mental and physical health, but who's going to microwave broccoli in the break room? I've done it, I was chewed out, and I won't mess with that fart-smelling vegetable again.
Green drinks like Bloom, AG1, and the many other green-drink alternatives are a great way to pack those life-changing nutrients into a fast-paced lifestyle.
I personally drink Whole Food's Green Vibrance. It taste like I mowed my yard and then made a drink out of it.
That being said, green drinks have had such a positive impact on my mental (and gut) health, that they made my list of things you should try this summer to prevent burnout and find a little bit of personal regeneration.
Make Connections that Matter
Burnout often begins when we feel undervalued for the work we're doing. Burnout can be caused by stress, and stress is often caused by the big two players: financial worries, and concerns about the future.
Invo Healthcare can be your next step in solving career challenges, financial expectations, and relocation. However, more than just helping you find your next steps, we're addressing the human aspect of change. We have completely restructured our internal team to help support the growing needs of you, the clinical, the therapist, and the educator.
We're excited to announce our CARE team, a group of dedicated individuals who walk you though every step of your career transition. Their only goal is to help you:
- Connect you with the right people and resources
- Assist with onboarding, benefits, timecards & more
- Retain a positive and inclusive work environment
- Engage you through regular check-ins, wellness activities, and feedback opportunities
Making connections that matter have a greater impact on burnout prevention than we'd like to admit. Our friends and the connections around us play an impactful role on our general outlook on life, and can breed pessimism or develop a beautiful optimism that changes our lives. Connect with Invo today, and let's discuss how exciting your next school year could be.
